The Memory Remains
by Cleopatra21780
Summary: Is the loss of memory the end or is it the start of something else
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I own nothing. Ok so this one is really on the serious side, I'll get better I promise. Please read, review.**

She hated this part of the con. The waiting for something to happen tended to drive her a bit batty. For some reason it was bothering her more this time than the others. She chalked it up to the fact that she felt like she was coming down with something. She had even gotten into a fight with Eliot earlier about that. He had wanted her to stay at the apartment, and she had almost given in but she was being too stubborn. So now she was sitting in the cab of an eighteen wheeler with her feet propped up on the dash, while the Nate and Eliot were in the warehouse taking what's his name's dirty money. Well they were waiting too, the mark had yet to show.

"Why are the scum bags never on time?" She asked.

_They wouldn't be scum bags if they were on time._ Came Nate's reply.

"Well I hope he hurries up. I want to stop by that diner we saw on the way in." Layla said with a smile.

_That's all you need._ Eliot groaned. _Greasy diner food, you'll be sick before we even get home._

"I feel fine right now. I think it was just," She paused as two black H3s pulled in. "There here."

_How many?_

"At least eight, plus the mark." She told them as she counted heads. "Be careful, the both of you, it looks like their expecting trouble."

_Packing?_ Eliot asked.

"At least three of them are. I hate to sound like Sophie on this, but these guys got to get better tailors. Their suit jackets don't hide anything. The two with the mark have sidearms."

She listened intently as the Nate and Eliot went through the motions. She thought everything was going well until all hell broke loose. There was yelling, and flesh hitting flesh, and then the sound Layla dreaded hearing, gunshots.

"Hardison."

_I know. I heard were on our way._

The others had been parked around the corner in case something happened. After that Layla went on instinct. Waiting for the bad guys to leave before running in the warehouse herself. When she saw Eliot laying on the cold cement floor, with Nate hovering over him she felt sick. He wasn't moving and there was blood pulling around him. Her booted feet felt heavy as she ran over to them. She fell to her knees and pulled Eliot into her lap. He had a large gash above his right eye, not the penetrating wound she was expecting, do to the blood on the ground. It was then she looked up at Nate who was paler than she had ever seen the mastermind. She could clearly see the bullet hole in his left arm and the blood flowing down the arm.

It was about that time the rest of the team got there. She heard Sophie scream, and Parker bark something at Hardison who was already on the phone calling an ambulance. After that the world was a blur.

When they got to the hospital, Hardison did most of the talking to the police, letting Sophie and Layla take care of the paper work with the hospital staff. Parker made sure to stay between the two in case they needed anything.

"I have a change of clothes if you want them." Parker finally said after an hour of uneasy silence.

Sophie had been led away to the surgical waiting room to wait for Nate to come out of surgery. Hardison had gone with her. That left Parker and Layla to wait for some news on Eliot in the ER. Layla had not been happy that they weren't letting her back to see him. Parker had had to step between the car thief and the charge nurse to stop Layla from laying the older woman out. Parker knew the nurse was only doing her job, but still Layla had a point, she was Eliot's wife and deserved to be back there with him. She was finally settling down some and Parker was trying her best to help.

"What?" Layla asked turning blurry eyes toward Parker.

"I have a change of clothes." Parker repeated. "You should go change."

Layla looked down at her blood stained clothes and sighed.

"Most of it is Nate's." She stood up and took the bag Parker offered.

She turned toward the charge nurse to ask where she could clean up, but the older nurse was already out of her seat.

"I'll show you to the Nurses changing room. It has a shower if you want to use it." The nurse replied taking Layla by the hand. "I checked on that man of yours, he's in the middle of CT scan right now. So it shouldn't been too much longer."

Parker watched as Layla smiled and some of the stress visibly released from her body as the nurse walked her around a corner. The next thing Parker knew Hardison was standing next to her, his hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his jeans.

"How's Nate?" She asked, craning her neck so she could look at him.

"Stable and in recovery. It wasn't as bad as we first thought. The blood loss seemed to be the worst of it. Sophie's with him right now. Have you heard anything on Eliot."

Parker shook her head no. "Layla's threatened a couple staff members, but no one will let her back. I just heard the charge nurse tell her he was in CT."

Hardison took the seat next to Parker.

"Probably had an MRI done too." He muttered. "They're just being cautious. It's probably nothing, and we'll all be outta here in a couple days."

"I hope you're right." Parker replied.

Layla returned shortly after that looking refreshed, but still looked pale. To her surprise it had been her clothes in the bag, not Parker's like she had oringally thought.

"Are you ok?" Hardison asked he moved so she could sit between the two.

"Yeah." Layla nodded, she didn't tell them that she had been sick while she was cleaning up.

Parker stared at her, knowing that she wasn't being completely honest with them, but under the circumstances she'd let it slide for now. They all had gotten comfortable as they could in the plastic chairs when a tall man in green scrubs came out looking for them. Parker looked at him hard there was something familiar about the man. Like she had seen him before.

"Dr. Wolfe." Hardison smiled at the man holding his hand out. "Parker you remember Dr. Wolfe we did that thing for him and his free clinic."

"Oh, yeah." Parker smiled.

The team had gotten some property back, as well as some funds, for the doctor from a crooked landlord so he could start up a free clinic for needy children. The whole team had been there when he opened the doors. The good doctor had even thrown a couple of cases their way. This had been before Layla had joined the group.

"And this must be Mrs. Spencer." the doctor said looking at Layla.

"How is he?" Layla asked. She'd make pleasantries later, right now she just wanted to know how Eliot was.

"He's stable, but still unconscious. The bullet just grazed him, but that's not what we're concerned about. There is some tissue swelling where I'm assuming he hit the ground. I won't lie to you it can go either way right now. The swelling can get better over night or it could possibly get worse. I had him transferred up to ICU. I've arranged it so you'll be able to stay in there with him, ok."

Layla nodded feeling her stomach churn. It wasn't the good news she was hoping for, but it wasn't the worst she could have gotten either. She gathered her things and walked toward the elevators, Parker and Hardison still on either side of her. The ride up was in silence worry thick in the air. They stepped off onto the fourth floor and made a left toward ICU. Parker found it funny that if they had turned right they would have gotten to see the babies. They stopped at a large double door with Intensive Care Unit written across it. Layla picked up the phone and talked to one of the nurses. A few moments later the doors opened, allowing Layla access to the unit. Parker and Hardison both hugged her, asking if there was anything she needed. Layla shook her head no, before numbly walking across the threshold.

A pretty, young nurse was waiting for her. She led Layla around the curve and to a room in the back where Eliot lay motionless. She followed the tubes coming out of his mouth and over to the respirator helping him to breath, and the IV line attached to his arm. She vaguely heard the nurse explain what the different machines were and what they were for. She also mentioned something about how their nightly rounds were going to be done. Layla didn't care. She just wanted the perky, young nurse to leave them alone. The nurse finally asked if there was anything Layla needed. Layla shook her head and took a seat next to the bed. She picked up one of his hands and threaded her fingers with his. He was warm. She didn't know why she thought he was going to be cold, probably the lack of movement.

Layla sighed, scooting the chair as close to the bed as she could. She closed her eyes hoping to try to get some rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Hardison smiled as he walked into Nate's room the next morning. He was looking ten times better than he had the night before. He was mid fight with Sophie who was trying to push Jell-O.

"Nate you need your fluids." Sophie told him.

"I already had two glasses of juice and a glass of water. If I have any more liquid, even in giggly form I'm going to explode. Besides I hate Jell-O." He complained, pushing Sophie's hand away.

"Good to see you in fighting form." Hardison said with a smirk.

"How's Eliot?" Nate asked without missing a beat.

"Don't know. Parker went up to check on him and Layla." Hardison replied. "It was a iffy situation when they took him up last night."

"How iffy?" Nate ask, wincing as he shifted.

"50/50. It all depends on how last night went."

"He's a fighter he'll pull through." Sophie said trying to remain positive. Nate squeezed her hand.

"I'm more worried about Layla to be honest." Hardison told them. He reached over and snagged Nate's untouched Jell-O. "She was looking pretty rough last night. I had to talk Parker out of breaking into the ICU, but I was tempted to let her just so Layla had one of us with her."

There was a loud beep and Hardison dug into his jacket pocket for his cell. He pushed a button and read the text from Parker.

"I thought you had to turn those off in here." Sophie looked at Nate.

"Only in certain parts of the hospital. What is it?" Nate asked concern seeping through at the look on Hardison's face.

"Eliot's awake." He paused. "Parker says it's not good though. I'll go up and find out what's going on."

The hacker bolted out of his chair and out of Nate's room. Sophie followed a few moments later after Nate told her to go. She met Hardison at the elevator, both waiting impatiently as they were carried up. Parker was waiting for them when the elevator doors swung open. She stopped mid pace as they got off.

"What's wrong?" Hardison asked.

"Eliot woke up sometime early this morning. It took four orderlies to hold him down while the doctor took out his breathing tubes."

"Layla couldn't calm him down?" Sophie asked.

"That's the bad part. He doesn't recognize her, or me for that matter. Dr. Wolfe spent the better part of an hour explaining to us that amnesia is a common thing with head trauma. It didn't make either one of us feel better."

"Where is Layla now?"

"Bathroom. Eliot hasn't been very nice to her this morning." Parker said crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm going to take her out for a bit, let her cry. Maybe if they'll let Nate come up…" Parker turned pleading eyes toward Sophie.

"I'll see what I can do." Sophie replied quietly.

"I'll go and talk to him." Hardison told Parker.

"Hardison, don't take what he says personally." Parker placed a hand on Hardison's forearm and squeezed. Hardison nodded and walked toward the heavy double doors.

"My god she looks awful." Sophie gasped as she saw Layla turn the corner.

"If it were Nate in there how would you look?" Parker replied quietly.

Layla plastered a smile on her face as she saw Sophie. She could tell by the look on the other woman's face that she knew exactly what was going on, and that made Layla want to run back to the safety of the bathroom and cry some more.

"How's Nate?" Layla asked as Sophie hugged her.

"He'll survive. How are you?"

"Surviving." Layla replied quietly.

"We can stop and say hi before we leave." Parker told Layla.

Layla shook her head. "Maybe later. I just want to get something to eat, maybe shower, and try to get some normal sleep."

Parker nodded, looping her arm through Layla's.

"Where do you want to eat? I'm paying." Parker informed her with a smile.

"I'll think of someplace." Layla smiled back and let Parker lead her into the elevator.

________________________________________________________________________

Layla was hiding. She knew she was, but right now she just wanted to be alone. Parker had been up a couple times to make sure she was alright. She had reassured her that she was fine and not doing anything stupid. She had made Parker stop by a local drug store, telling her that she had some personal items she needed. Parker had waited outside while Layla went in and bought things that she really didn't need, but needed something so Parker wouldn't get curious. Now she sat cross-legged on the bathroom counter staring intently at the little plastic stick next to her. The bright pink plus sign staring back at her like it was neon.

She didn't know why she didn't think of this earlier. Looking back it was obvious to her. She couldn't help but wonder if she had found out earlier if things would be different. If Eliot wouldn't have been in that warehouse with Nate. If he would still have his memories.

"I was getting worried." Parker said as she opened the door, pulling Layla out of her thoughts.

"I'm ok Parker." She told her tiredly, carefully palming the stick next to her.

"No your not." Parker told her seriously. "I'm not."

Parker walked slowly over to the counter before hopping up next to Layla. She crossed her legs as well, picking at a string hanging off her pant leg.

"I never had a family before the team." Parker started. "Eliot's like my big over protective brother. I'm not sure what I'm going to do without him."

"He's not dead Parker." Layla replied adamantly.

"No, but he's not the same either." Parker shrugged.

"The doctor said there's a good chance he'll get his memories back."

"And there's a chance he won't."

Layla nodded and looked over at Parker. She needed someone to talk to. Sighing she held the little plastic stick out for Parker to see. The blond thief took the offered object and stared at it.

"Is this what I think it is?" Parker asked.

Layla nodded.

"How?"

"Do we need to have "The Talk" Parker?" Layla asked tiredly.

"No." Parker groused. "I guess I mean how far…"

"About six or seven weeks."

"Wow."

"Parker, I want you to promise me that you won't tell the others until I'm ready. Give me a while to take in everything that's happened in, ok?"

Parker nodded, still staring at the little plastic stick.

"Are you going to tell Eliot?" Parker looked up suddenly.

"If this morning is any indication, no." Layla told the blond thief. "He doesn't want to talk to me, doesn't want to see me again. You heard him Parker."

"I know." Parker sighed. "But it's still his baby. Even if he doesn't remember."

"We'll see Parker." Layla replied suddenly exhausted. "I'm going to try and get some sleep."

________________________________________________________________________

Nate wasn't surprised to find Eliot dressed when he finally made it up to talk to him. Hardison had pretty much told him that he was going to get out of there as soon as he could. The hospital would try to keep him as long as they could, but if Eliot wanted out Eliot was going to get out.

"I don't want to talk to anyone." He told Nate without turning around.

"Fair enough." Nate told him. "You don't have to talk but I do want you to listen."

Eliot spun around to face Nate. A look of surprise crossed his face before it set into a scowl. Nate hid his smile well. Hardison had told him that Eliot remembered some things, they just weren't sure what those things were. Apparently he recognized Nate, but in what form.

"What is it?" Eliot growled. His stance grew defensive and Nate knew if he didn't play this right he'd be spending a lot more time in the hospital.

"Just that I'm here if you need to talk." Nate replied quietly, pulling a business card out of the pocket of the hospital robe Sophie had draped over his shoulders. He set the card on the table before turning to leave.

Eliot snatched the card up and read it.

_Nathan Ford CEO_

_Leverage Consulting and Associates_

There was a few numbers scribbled hastily on the back of the card. Eliot snorted but shoved the card in the pocket of the jeans he was wearing. He just needed to get out and away from here. Things would be better when he had time alone to think.

________________________________________________________________________

"How'd it go?" Sophie asked when Nate wondered back into his room.

"It could have been worse." He replied sitting on the bed. His arm throbbed as she helped him take the sling off. "I could be part of the hospital right now."

"That bad."

"Oh yeah. I think there was some recognition there with me, but it was brief." Nate sighed, resting back against the pillows. "I hate to say it but I think he needs time alone."

Sophie's face took on a pensive look and Nate squeezed her hand.

"It'll be ok. Things will work out for the best I promise." He kissed her hand.

"I hope you're right, Nate." Sophie told him.

"So am I." Nate scooted over and pulled her down next to him on the bed. "So am I."


	3. Chapter 3

"_That's not going to work." He told her leaning against the driver's side door._

"_Do I tell you how to punch somebody?" She replied annoyed. "So don't tell me how to hotwire a car. Duct tape."_

_He handed her the roll of silver tape, wishing Nate hadn't planned this con on the hottest day of the year. Outside was stifling, but he was sure the inside of the car is what hell felt like._

"_Finish that and then take a break before you get heat stroke." He told her, patting her hip._

_A few seconds later she slipped out of the car. She took a moment to take a deep breath before taking a seat on the hood. A clear plastic bottle filled with cold water appeared in front of her and she smiled._

"_I say the next time Nate has an idea like this we make him do it." She told him taking a long drink from the bottle._

"_Good luck with that, darlin'." He brushed his lips against hers._

_She grinned as he poured some water on the back of his neck. She leaned back against the hood of the car admiring the way the drops of water clung to his tanned skin._

"_Wanna shine the hood?" She smiled at him._

"_What?" His head shot around to look at her._

"_You heard me, cowboy."_

"_We've got to finish this." He looked sternly at her._

"_Ten minutes." She told him._

"_What?"_

_She rolled her eyes. "Ten more minutes and the car's ready. Nate gave us the rest of the afternoon to take care of this. Way I see it that gives us a couple hours to waste." She smirked._

_The slow grin that crossed his face caused her to giggle. He stalked over to her stepping between her legs, pressing her back against the car. She wrapped her arms around his neck and a leg around his waist._

Eliot woke with a start. The dream filtering through his head in vivid sun drenched colors. Shaking he moved slowly out of bed and toward the curtained covered windows. Snow fell in a thick, white blanket on the Russian country side as he stared out the paned glass. It had taken him two months to find a place where he felt alone. Where he didn't get the feeling that someone should be next to him, or in his head telling him what to do.

The dreams had started a month prior. Just flashes at first. Things he didn't want to remember, but did any way. Things he wasn't proud of doing. Of places and people he wished never came back to him. Then the dreams changed. Broken fragments of his life pieced slowly back together. The dreams with her in it were always welcomed at night, but left him aching in the morning. Things had changed yet again. Things he needed answers to.

________________________________________________________________________

"I swear if one more stranger touches my stomach someone is loosing an arm." Layla growled as she entered Nate's apartment.

She was followed closely by Sophie, who had the good grace not to look amused. Nate on the other hand had less tact than that, but the car thief seemed to let him get away with it.

"Had fun shopping did we?" Nate laughed.

"Seriously," Layla propped her feet up on the coffee table and sighed. "You hit the four month mark and everybody sees a green light to touch the pregnant lady's belly. And why do they all have to be so damn perky about it."

"It's over. Don't worry I'll go shopping on my own from now on." Sophie laughed.

"It's not like I'm that big yet." Layla replied looking down at her slightly protruding stomach.

"It's a new life. People find hope and happiness in it." Sophie told her as she sat next to her on the couch.

"Or they just like annoying moms-to-be." Nate grinned, walking over a pint of ice cream and handing it to Layla.

The car thief smiled and took the offering. This had been her newest craving. It didn't matter that it was thirty degrees outside or that the weathermen were calling for snow, the baby wanted ice cream. Layla had felt slightly bad calling Hardison at two in the morning when the craving had first hit, but he had told her it was no problem and an hour later he was at her door with four different kinds for her to choose from. The next day to her surprise she found Nate had a freezer stocked full.

"Parker and Hardison should be here soon." Nate told them.

"Where'd they go off to?" Sophie asked.

Nate shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

As soon as Nate said that the front door opened and the hacker and thief walked in. Parker bounding over to Layla. The blond thief knelt down, pressing her ear to Layla's belly as if it were the newest safe she was learning to crack.

"Hi in there. It's your Aunt Parker." Parker beamed.

"And you complain about strangers." Sophie huffed.

"Parker's family." Layla smiled.

"Oh, I think I felt him…her move." Parker announced lifting her head and replacing it with her hands.

Parker always thought she felt the baby move. Layla knew it would be another month before Parker really did, having only started felling the flutterings herself a week before.

"Now that we're all here can we get started?" Nate asked.

Parker stuck her tongue out at him but got up and sat on the couch next to Sophie. Hardison laughed and pulled up the file on their new client.

________________________________________________________________________

Layla left as soon as the briefing was over. She would have stayed and watched whatever movie Parker and Hardison planned on putting in, but she was feeling tired after her day out with the grifter. The woman should have been a professional shopper. Layla opened the apartment door and sagged against it, feeling grateful to be alone at last.

"You shouldn't leave the door unlocked." An achingly familiar voice told her from the darkened living room.

"I was over at Nate's." Layla told him, frozen to a spot just inside the door.

"Still you shouldn't leave it unlocked." He reinforced.

He stepped out of the shadows and Layla sucked a breath in. She hadn't really seen him since that day in the hospital. To her he still looked the same, the only differences being his hair was a bit shorter and the new scar above his right eye where the bullet had hit. All in all he still looked like the Eliot she remembered, even if he didn't.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to move. She flipped the light on in the kitchen, grabbing the mettle tea pot from the stove she filled it with water. She could feel his eyes burrowing into her back as she tried to keep her movements even and smooth. She felt the urge to place a protective hand over her belly, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to draw his attention to it or not.

"Is there something that you wanted?" She forced herself to ask, afraid of the response.

When she didn't get a response she turned to see if he was still there or if it had been her imagination playing tricks on her. What she didn't expect was to find him so close. He had taken the opportunity to move stealthily across the room. So close that if she just lifted her arm she'd touch. His hand brushed softly against her cheek, a movement that caused Layla's skin to burn. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips softly captured hers.

"Layla!"

Layla jumped as the voice penetrated her dream fogged brain. Parker was looking at her with concern. Layla couldn't help it as the tears came to her eyes. It had been so real for her and yet so not. Sighing Parker let her friend cry, there wasn't much else she could do. At least for now.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Talk about pressure. I wrote this part three different times till I thought I got it right. I hope you guys enjoy this part as much as the rest. Please read and review.**

**A/N2: The song can be whatever you think it is. Personally I had Metallica's _Nothing Else Matters_ in mind when I wrote it.**

Layla stared at the box sitting on the floor. There was nothing extraordinary about it, just a plain brown shipping box about the size of a gift box. There were postal stamps from all over the world across the top, so point of origin was difficult to tell. She could hear Parker huff next to her in impatience. Sighing she pulled the box closer, slicing carefully through the packing tape. Resting inside, amidst crumpled up newspaper, was a matryoshka. Layla carefully reached in and pulled out the wooden nesting dolls. She turned the dolls over in her hand. Her fingers running softly over the bright reds and golds of the ornately painted dolls.

"I don't understand." She heard Parker say.

"It's…" Layla replied quietly.

"_I've never been to Russia." She told him as she settled back against his chest._

"_It's beautiful. Especially in the winter. The snow falls so thick that when you go out the only noise you hear is your own breathing." His fingers started tracing patters along her arm. "I'll have to take you some day."_

"_That'd be nice." She told him._

_They sat in silence for awhile, each content to just be near the other._

"_I had a set of nesting dolls when I was little." She commented._

"_What happened to them?" He asked._

"_My mom burned them." She replied quietly._

_He kissed the top of her head._

"_When we go I'll get you a new set." He told her._

Layla shook her head, staring at the dolls again. Standing slowly she set them down on the dresser next to the half built crib, before leaving Parker alone in the unfinished nursery. Parker watched in silence as she left the room and waited until she heard the bedroom door close before she snatched up the empty box. She bounded down the steps coming to sliding stop next to Hardison, who was sitting on the couch.

"He's in Russia." Parker told the hacker.

"How do you know?" Hardison looked up just as the blond shoved the box into his hands.

"Just see if you can trace that." She told him, pointing to the various postage marks on the box.

"I'll see what I can do, but don't hold your breath." He told her as his hands started flying across the keyboard. "How did you know this was from him?"

"It was the way Layla looked." Parker shrugged. "I just knew."

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Hardison asked Parker.

She nodded, pulling her mittens on and her hood up.

"It needs to be done." She stated simply. "Besides I can take care of myself."

Hardison knew that. It still didn't stop him from worrying.

"Ok, holler if you need help." He gave her a small smile, to which she returned.

Parker nodded and slipped out of the van.

* * *

_She was oblivious to him watching her. Standing in the kitchen, dressed in nothing more than one of his shirts. Her hips swaying to the haunting music pouring out of the speakers. It wouldn't have been his first choice, but the more he listened to the lyrics the more he realized how well the song fit them. Moving slowly toward her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck. She laughs and turns in his arms to face him. Her arms find rest on his shoulders as she forces him to sway with her in time to the music. She's singing softly with the music as her eyes flutter close and he pulls her closer._

Eliot jumped as someone banged loudly on the front door of his cabin. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. He never used to be this jumpy. Pushing out of the chair, he stopped over to the door and flung it open. To his surprise he had an armful of blond thief within a matter of seconds of opening the door.

"Parker?" He asked as he tried to pry her off.

"Oh, you remembered me." She squealed, squeezing tighter.

"Yeah, Parker I remember." He admitted, giving up and letting the blond hug him.

"I was so worried when I got here you wouldn't." She let go of him and stepped back, only to send her fist into his jaw. "If you remember why didn't you come home?"

"Parker,"

"We all miss you. There's a big empty spot on the team without you there." She took a deep breath. "Not to mention Layla. She's been a mess since you left. She doesn't always show it, but I've seen it, so has everyone else. It's not healthy for her, Eliot. Not her or…" Parker stopped.

Eliot rubbed his jaw, turning to look at Parker.

"What's wrong with her?" Concern coloring his voice.

Parker remained silent, kicking herself for getting emotional. She didn't want to use the baby as a means of getting him to come home, but she hadn't been watching what she was saying. She jumped when he turned on her. He grabbed her tightly by the arms.

"Parker, what's wrong with Layla?"

He wanted to shake her, to get the information that he needed. A thousand thoughts flying through his head, none of them pleasant and nothing he could do because he wasn't man enough to face her. Parker took a minute to study the hitter. She smiled as she realized that he was feeling guilty. He hadn't come home not because he didn't want to, but because he was afraid. She knew he had treated them all pretty bad when he had first woken up, Layla especially.

"She's not going to be mad at you." Parker told him. "None of us are."

"Could of fooled me." He smiled at her slightly, rubbing his jaw.

Parker just smiled and shrugged. "Had to get your attention somehow. Now go pack, we can be home by tomorrow evening if you hurry."

He smiled, turning to do what she said. "Wait, Parker, you didn't answer my question. Is there something wrong with Layla?"

Parker took a deep breath, looking down at floor and mumbled something.

"What?"

She sighed. Looking up this time.

"She's having a baby." She told him quietly.

Parker didn't have time to judge his reaction before he took off down the hall. She smiled to herself as she heard a door slam in the back.

"Maybe I should have told him that to begin with." She giggled.

* * *

Layla heard Sophie squeal with delight and groaned. Nate must have done something and surprised the grifter with something shiny. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, wishing she had the guts to get it cut. The baby gave her a swift kick and she laughed. It was early evening, time for the baby's workout. She shook her head and went for the steps.

"What did Nate get you this time?" She asked not looking at the grifter as she descended the steps.

She came to a sudden stop at the bottom of the stairs, as she saw him standing there. They stood stock still, staring intently at each other. Nate smiled and ushered the others out of the apartment. There'd be time to spend as a whole later, right now Eliot and Layla needed time alone.

"Are you real?" She had to ask. She'd had too many dreams and woken up alone to trust her judgment.

He didn't say anything just crossed the space between them and kissed her softly. She flung her arms around his neck holding on tight as if he would turn to mist and be gone again.

"I'm home, sweetheart." He told her softly, rubbing circles on her back.

Layla held on tighter, trying to stop the sobs from escaping. The baby chose that time to make it's presence known, giving several swift kicks, causing them to pull apart and laugh. Eliot looked down at Layla's rounded belly and gently placed a hand on it. The baby moved again and Eliot started rubbing soothing circles.

"I'm sorry." He told her softly, his hand still rubbing her belly.

"For what?" She asked.

He looked at her and sighed.

"For the hospital. For not coming home sooner."

Layla smiled and took him by the hand, leading him over to the couch. She sat down, patting the spot next to her. He sat down next to her and she smiled.

"You had no control over that." She told him softly running her fingers through his hair. "It was rough, yeah, but we survived."

He let his hand rest on her swollen belly again, his thumb making small circles.

"Now if you had waited any longer we might have had some issues." She told him with a smile.

Eliot chuckled and pulled her into his lap.

"Eliot, I've got to weigh a ton." She complained.

He laughed. He was just grateful to have her in his arms again.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry this is so short, but this is the only way I could picture ending this story. I do have an epilogue that I might post, I'm not sure if I'm going to considering the plans for the next story. If I don't post it here, I can put it out as a stand alone. Once again please read and review let me know what you think.**

**A/N2: The reference to the names. Grace O'Malley was a 16th**** century Irish pirate and Anne Bonny sailed with Calico Jack Rackham. And if you really want to know where the boy's name came from, well James was the middle name I gave Eliot in one of parts in Behind Blue Eyes, but I was really thinking more along the lines of Jessie James (the outlaw) and William came from William H. Bonny aka Billy the Kid. ****J**

Layla took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She rested her head on Eliot's chest as he softly talked to her. She had lost track of what he had been saying about the time the third contraction hit in less than five minutes. She knew his hand had to be hurting from where she was gripping it, but if it were he wasn't saying anything. Parker was sitting behind her, kneading her lower back. The blond hadn't said two words since she arrived at the hospital, after receiving their call earlier. Layla wasn't sure if it was because she didn't want to interrupt Eliot, or if she were that intent on what she was doing. At this point in the evening Layla didn't care.

"What the hell is this kid waiting for?" Layla growled out through clenched teeth.

Parker snorted, very unladylike. "It's your and Eliot's kid alright. Stubborn even before it's born."

Layla could feel Eliot's chest shake as he laughed at Parker's comment. It was scary how accurate she could be sometimes. Layla sighed as the contractions eased. She took a deep breath and looked down at Eliot's hand. There were deep half moon gouges along the back of his hand from where her nails had dug in.

"I'm sorry." She told him quietly.

"It's ok. Not the worst I've had." He replied, kissing her forehead.

The nurse chose that time to make an appearance. She smiled at them, placing her hands on her hips.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" She asked.

Layla shook her head emphatically.

"Ok then." The nurse smiled again. "Let's just see where we're at then."

* * *

"Does it usually take this long?" Hardison asked as he looked up from his laptop.

Nate laughed as did Sophie. The pair were snuggled together on the small couch in the maternity ward's waiting room.

"It's only been a couple of hours, Hardison." Sophie told him gently. "We could be here until this time tomorrow."

"Great." The hacker sighed returning to his laptop.

"Or it could be now." Nate told them as Parker burst into the waiting room.

"It's a girl." Parker beamed. "She's got all ten fingers and toes and a very loud set of lungs."

Nate gently grabbed Parker by the shoulders to keep her from bouncing. He smiled at the blond.

"What did they name her Parker?" Nate asked.

"Oh, Grace Ann Spencer." Parker replied. "If we hurry we can see her in the nursery while they clean her up."

Parker darted back out almost as quickly as she had darted in. Hardison smiled and took off after her, while Nate and Sophie walked at a more leisurely pace.

"You know they named their daughter after pirates?" Nate asked with a smile.

"I overheard them talking about it last week." Sophie replied. "I hate to say that it's appropriate. What were they going to name her if she'd been a boy?"

"James William I think." Nate grinned.

Sophie shook her head and laughed.

* * *

Eliot smiled as he watched them sleep soundly. He was surprised Layla stayed awake as long as she did, but in the end exhaustion had caught up with her. Now she was sleeping peacefully with Grace tucked in the crook of her arm. He watched as the infant yawned and stirred. Unable to deny himself any longer he carefully scooped the baby up in his arms. Six pounds one and a half ounces of perfection. She lifted a little fist and opened her eyes. Eliot sat back down in the rocking chair. He started humming softly to her, watching as her eyes started to flutter close. Eliot sat back singing softly, he closed his eyes, slowly rocking as he did.

Layla smiled softly from her spot in the hospital bed. She had woken up the moment Eliot had picked the baby up. She had remained still and quiet in order to watch the interaction between the two. She mentally said a quiet prayer of thanks for the image in front of her. If someone had asked her months ago if she'd see this, Layla would have told them no. She shifted slightly and looked over at the pair again, only to find cobalt colored eyes looking at her.

She smiled at him, reaching for his outstretched hand, her fingers lacing with his. She snuggled into the pillow and closed her eyes as he started to sing again, lulling her back to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

"Tell me a story?"

Nate looked up from his newspaper and smiled. Moving the paper to the table he picked the small child up and sat her in his lap.

"What story do you want to hear?" Nate asked even though he had a good idea what she wanted to hear.

"Beauty and the Beast." She replied resting her head on his shoulder.

Nate chuckled. It was the same story every time, but his version was no where near the Disney version. In fact he was pretty sure that his story had nothing to do with the original story at all.

"Ok. So there…"

She turned cobalt eyes on him and gave him a look that was the spitting image of her father. It caused Nate to laugh.

"Start it right." She informed him.

"OK. Ok. Once upon a time," She settled back against him. "there was a brave knight, that worked for an evil king, but he didn't know he was an evil king until he refused to send for the healer to heal the knight's son. When the knight's son died the knight was very sad, so he went out to wonder the world. He found that the world was full of evil, mean people,"

"This is where he assembled his group." She said with a smile.

"Who's telling this story?" Nate laughed. "He knew that he couldn't help the good people all by himself. So he gathered a small band of together to help him. A powerful wizard, a beautiful princess, a stealthy rogue, and a mighty beast. They went all over the place helping different people who had no one else to turn to. Along the way the knight realized that they needed help with a special mission, so he went out and found a gentle druid."

"Uncle Nate what's a dudid again?" She asked.

"It's a person who, well in this story she can talk to horses." He tried to explain.

"Kinda like when daddy says mommy can talk to cars."

"Exactly." Nate said with a smile.

"And did she help with the mission they were on?"

"Yes she did. She was able to talk to the mean troll's horse and find out how he was poisoning the kingdom's horses. When the special mission was over the knight asked her to stay. It didn't take long for the druid to say yes. It also helped that the beast and the druid liked each other very much and eventually they fell in love." Nate smiled as he watched her eyes flutter shut.

"Finish please." She requested sleepily.

"Well one day an evil sorcerer put a spell on the beast causing him to loose his memory. He didn't know who his friends were, or who the druid was. But that was the special part. The druid and the beast had a spell that was more powerful than the sorcerer's spell. The love the beast had for the druid could undo any spell put on him. It may have taken him a while but the beast got his memory back."

"And they lived happily ever after?"

"Forever." He replied quietly.

The small girl smiled and snuggled closer.

"You tell the best stories." She said with a grin. "Don't tell daddy though."

Nate laughed. "I won't."

* * *

Nate jumped as the weight against his chest was lifted. His sleep blurred eyes trying to focus quickly, but not complying.

"Nate, its ok." Eliot told him.

"What time is it?" Nate asked finally focusing on the hitter.

"Late." Eliot smiled shifting Grace in his arms.

"How did it go?"

Eliot smiled. "Good. Asshole didn't know what hit him."

"Sounds like you enjoyed yourself too much." Nate said with a smirk.

"He hurt kids Nate." He looked down at Grace.

Nate chuckled. "Takes on a whole new meaning now doesn't it?"

"Yeah it does." Eliot said quietly. "I better get…"

"Yeah, yeah. We'll debrief tomorrow." Nate said rubbing a hand over his face.

Eliot turned to leave, Grace still sound asleep on his shoulder. Nate smiled.

"Eliot," Nate called, causing the hitter to turn. "You're doing a good job."

Eliot smiled and nodded.


End file.
